The problem:  High and constant levels of stress during adolescence have the potential to contribute to the increased likelihood of conditions such as anxiety, depression, or abusing drugs and alcohol. Some teens become overloaded with stress. When this happens, it can lead to anxiety, withdrawal, aggression, physical illness, or poor coping skills such as drug and/or alcohol use. (aacap.org)   Many youth in our county are seeing an increase in their stress levels that in turn is affecting them mentally and physically.

The educational program response:   I reached out to the 5th grade teachers at CCES and told them about the Health Rocks curriculum, they were very receptive and told me how desperately our youth needed enrichment in this particular area, especially with them beginning middle school the next year.

The participants/target audience: I am targeting 5th grade youth at CCES.

Program impact or participant response: The impact of the program is still to be determined as it is still being implemented. The youth are learning about identifying stress and defining if it's a stress they can or can't control and learning coping mechanisms. Youth are also learning about the importance of asking for help when things may be hard for them as well as learning about what makes a good friend. This goes both ways to ensure they are making positive choices to be around friends who are a good influence on them as well as being a good friend to someone and a positive influence.  Youth will also be learning about making good decisions and then creating posters and videos to use at school to encourage and remind youth in other grades about the things they have learned about this year. The outcome of this success is still ongoing, however, the youth have been very receptive to the lessons and discussions and we have had some great dialogue in our time together.